Broadway
by TwiliPrincess049
Summary: Songfic again! Rather short this time, though...Set before Braska's pilgrimage, with a certain ex-Warrior Monk wondering just who he is. Song-Broadway, by the Goo Goo Dolls


**Annnd it's another songfic! To another song by the amazing, the wonderful...THE GOO GOO DOLLS! 8DDDD**

**Again, it helps if you've heard the song. This one's CONSIDERABLY shorter than my Big Machine one, but at least the lyrics kind of match up to when they play in the song ;)**

**Disclaimer: Set before Braska's pilgri-SQUIRREL.**

**x.X.x  
**

He sat in the tavern, alone and with his drink clenched in his fist. The streetlights of Bevelle had long since come on, and the citizens of Spira's largest city had long since gone in. Now, most of the people awake were crowded in the bar, and the ex-Warrior Monk was sitting in the back-hating himself. Hating himself for refusing the priest the day before, hating himself for drinking when he had swore he never would.

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_A little bit weaker than you used to be _

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_See the young man sitting _

_In the old man's bar _

_Waiting for his turn to die _

Around him, he saw all sorts of people. Even with his mind fogged by alcohol, he still saw the men having slurred arguments, the girls no older than he was chatting and laughing drunkenly. One of them hopped up on one of the tables and said loudly, "I proclaim this table to be…no one's!" She broke down in a fit of giggles, and he turned away.

_The cowboy kills the rock star _

_And Friday night's gone too far _

_The dim light hides the years _

_On all the faded girls _

How his father could have spent all his time in this miserable place, Auron would never know. But now it seemed like the only escape for him. He stared down at the bottom of his mug, closing his eyes and catching the attention of the waitress. She filled it up, and his hand clenched into a fist under the table as he took another gulp. Just tonight. Then he would never drink again.

_Forgotten but not gone _

_You drink it off your mind _

_You talk about the world _

_Like it's someplace that you've been _

To his right, a man began loudly slurring about how long hair was unbecoming of a lady, though he kept gesturing to the silky black ponytail hanging down Auron's back. He sighed and took another drink, trying to forget the man, forget everything. He wanted to go back.

_You see you'd love to run home _

_But you know you ain't got one_

'_Cause you're livin' in a world _

_That you're best forgotten around here _

Auron looked out the dirty window, at the houses across the street. All of them had lights turned out, not even the faintest sliver of gold shining from under a doorway or through a window.

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_A little bit weaker than you used to be _

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_See the young man sitting _

_In the old man's bar _

_Waiting for his turn to die _

He swore to himself and stood up, slamming his mug onto the table and stalking out of the bar. He couldn't take it any more, the man whose voice had been becoming louder and the girl that had begun dancing on the table. His conscience wouldn't allow it, wouldn't allow him to become like his father.

_You choke down all your anger _

_Forget your only son _

_You pray to statues when you sober up for fun _

He walked to the temple, hoping no one would be there at this hour.

_Your anger don't impress me _

_The world slapped in your face _

_It always rains like hell on the losers day parade _

There wasn't. But the eyes of the statues stared down at him in disapproval, and Auron dropped to his knees beside the one at the base of the staircase. He prayed for forgiveness, for Yevon to understand that he had no other choice. He didn't love her: he couldn't have forced himself to marry her.

_You see you'd love to run home _

_But you know you ain't got one _

_'Cause you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten_

_And when you're thinkin' of a joke _

_And nobody's gonna listen _

_To the one small point _

_I know they been missin' round here _

"Auron?" He stood and turned, facing his old friend. The two stared at each other for a moment. "Auron, you know you shouldn't be here!" Kinoc hissed, stepping forward. "They'd kill you if they knew!"

"It isn't like that would be any worse," he answered, making no effort to keep his voice down. Kinoc was the only one here, after all.

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_A little bit weaker than you used to be_

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_See the young man sitting _

_In the old man's bar_

_Waiting for his turn to die _

"Well, you could be in my place right now," the other man answered. Auron shook his head.

"I couldn't have married her."

He sighed and nodded.

"Sorry, Auron. I wish there was something I could do."

"There isn't." With a last glance at the statue and a parting nod to his friend, he turned and walked off, eyes narrowed against the wind outside. His hair whipped into his face, and the ex-Warrior Monk sighed. There was nothing anyone could do for him.

_You see you'd love to run home _

_But you know you ain't got one _

_'Cause you're livin' in a world _

_That you're best forgotten _

_And if you're thinkin' of a joke _

_And nobody's gonna listen _

_To the one small point _

_I know they been missin' round here _

He stopped, sitting heavily on the curb and rubbing his temples, trying to get the ache out of his head. He cursed again, fingering the empty jug hanging at his side. He couldn't remember how many drinks he had had _after _emptying that one, and Auron closed his eyes. He couldn't spend the rest of his life like this, drinking night after night until he couldn't drink any more. Above him, the streetlight blinked off.

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_A little bit weaker than you used to be _

_Broadway is dark tonight _

_See the young man sitting _

_In the old man's bar _

_Waiting for his turn to die _

**x.X.x**

**TADDAAA!**

**Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Hehehehe...**

**In any case, the site was being really mean and didn't want to let me make page-breaks or anything, so...yeah. It's all spacey. TADA.**

**W00t.**

**Review, PLEEZ.  
**


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